Blossom of Embers
by MrFiretank
Summary: "Get this, skullhead! I may not be the most responsible adult or even anywhere close to being one! But if you think that I'll abandon this little girl because whatever legal reasons tell me to, then you can go screw yourself-" "Joy? What does 'screw' mean?" "Oh. Uh...uhhhh..." -Joan "Joy" Ellenford
1. Don't Abandon Anyone

**DON'T ABANDON ANYONE**

* * *

"WHAT!? Let me get this straight. You want me to work overtime on top of abandoning my free day!?"

"There's no other way! We'll have one of the busiest days of the year tomorrow and we **need** every hand available!"

In case you've ever had a job at the local supermarket, coffee shop or drugstore, be grateful for those poor suckers. 10 hours a day, long work on Saturday and rarely a decent pay dependent on what their stupid bosses pay them-

"Miss Ellenford! Either you arrive on time the next morning or you'll be suspended for a week!"

"YOU CAN'T JUST-"

"As your supervisor, I **can**. I'm annoyed by this situation as well but we cannot allow any hits on that day's profit margin or else the higher-ups get on it."

*Sigh* "Fine…but you owe me. Big time." *Beep*

Well, that went about as great as…actually, there's nothing that comes to my mind when suddenly being forced to work with added overtime on your day of relaxation as a metaphor. Sure, that cold cappuccino resting stiffly like a statue next to me helped. So did the good old grey bomber jacket that never lost its smell of barbeque sauce since last year-

"Ok, who am I to lie to except myself? THIS DAY SUCKS!" My cold ass (which previously rested on a park bench for 20 minutes or so) finally got up, my dark green hiking boots hitting the soft stone pavement and making me stretch as today's work finally caught up with me.

To everyone who's potentially wondering things like "Who are you?" or "Why are you talking with yourself?" I can only say: I have no clue as well. Perhaps I've finally gone all crazy in my head like those stupid first-person narrative TV shows. But eh, might as well humor myself as a distraction.

Joan. "Joy". Ellenford. The name that none of you probably knew until now. 25 years old, still consider myself a young adult or more of an overgrown teenager, works a crappy job at the local big market chain to keep herself afloat. My life wouldn't be so hard if I decided to do something else and finish the training for it.

Uhhhh, no. Listen, I get that hard work and education pays off long term. But I'm not cut out for any of those stupid office jobs-

"Uh, miss? Are you still drinking that?"

'Huh? Oh…drifted off again, great.' Some guy in torn clothing and a dirt-coated beanie was standing next to me. 'Hmm, he seems nice and I'm not particularly thirsty anymore, so...' "Me? Nah. There should be about half a cup left. Not sure if you prefer your coffee fucking ice cold or not." At least I wasn't telling lies. That drink was from today's shift while I bought it on my goddamn lunch break.

"No worries. Though, I appreciate your honesty."

"Whatever you say, bud." And just like that, he was on his merry way. Really, poor guy. Uhm…where was I again? 'Right, introduction.'

Black hair in a pixie cut with the most visible color bangs in existence (aka. Neon green), average height of every American woman, brown eyes and glistering skin in the sun. Mind you, that's not from beauty products. I rather prefer the much simpler solution: Sweat.

…

Hey! Why are you mentally looking at me like that!? Sure, I can afford shampoo and other stuff but saving as much money every month is a goal I'm not willing to abandon. Take that as you will.

The white t-shirt, half-torn jeans, and previously mentioned boots didn't appeal to everyone's fashion sense but at least they were comfy to wear when getting out of those itchy working uniforms. THOSE needed to be burned in fire, I tell you.

'Whatever…it's getting late anyways so might as well buy some food before returning to my apartment.' At least I'd have Mr. Charles waiting for me at home. And before you ask about who he is, let me tell you right here. He's a small, black cat with brown eyes like me and a knack for throwing everything around its vicinity onto the ground. Including stuff just to piss me off.

He may be evil, but at least he lets himself be hugged-

"HELP! PLEASE, SOMEONE, HELP ME!"

…

'Okay…uhm…' To hear a child crying in the distance of your location and having it followed by small whimpers would usually cause you to run straight towards it. But that's why I'm debating on not going there as well. I'd only waste precious time of my day, they'd be safe either way-

"I CAN'T GET DOWN FROM HERE!"

"Stop making this so hard on my mind, kid!" Alright, normally by now someone would've helped them. But seeing how EVERYONE is apparently failing this task, I'll just go after the voice and make sure they're safe soon.

The sun was already setting as I walked (or partially ran) to my destination. My hometown's park was littered with trees and bushes everywhere, resembling more of a wildlife park than anything. A few weak rays of sunlight managed to illuminate the space around me and whoever else was there at least.

'Though…where is everyone else?' Albeit the obvious call of distress that surely wasn't from an adult, nobody seemed to have acted upon it. This left two reasons for why. 'Either everyone already went home, not counting the hobo of course or everyone's sense of morale fucking died rec-'

"HELLO! ANYONE!?"

"Right, the kid. HEY, CAN YOU HEAR ME!?" Not sure if cupping my hands on each side of my ears would amplify the noise or not but right now I just needed to find this darn…girl, boy, whatever! Good thing I have some of my anger still left pent up because someone's parent deserves a verbal reminder from me!

"YES! UP HERE!" Oh hey, just above my head! I had to stretch my neck to look up but soon the strain kicked in. 'Well, don't they look young…' Up on a **really** high branch, a kid was there with a full-body grip on the shaky appendage of that tree. Only some purple stocking, black shoes, a red bangle on her left arm, red (almost purple) hair and for some reason, a headband with pink devil horns peeked out above me.

"Alright, just stay calm! Alright? I'll get you…off of there…somehow…" I'm already regretting my words. The spot she gripped the branch at was at least 15 feet high in the air, meaning there was some serious potential risk involved!

"O-Ok- AHHHHH!" The now revealed girl managed to peek below at me from that height, only to shriek with a fear-ridden face as she buried her head into the limb of the tree again. 'There's also a teddy bear on her back. Looked pretty torn but, hmm…'

Okay. For now, I have to calm her or else there'll be no way that she gets off of there.

"Kid? Say, what's your name?"

There was somewhat of an uncomfortable silence after my question. But after a few seconds, she at least answered to me. "A-Annie."

"That's a really pretty name, Annie!"

"R-Really?" YES! Her voice is beginning to waver less, so at least she'll listen to me for now.

"Yeah! Say, do you have something precious there with you?" Now to relax her more and-

…

Until now it hasn't crossed my mind that I could've just called the goddamn ambulance! But…do I really still want to? I was doing something helpful for once and felt proud of myself. As if I'd let that get taken away!

"Y-Yes! I have my Tibbers!" Tibbers? Ah, she probably means the stuffed bear! Wonder how long he was in her possession yet, but if she cherishes him so much that the thing manages to calm her down then fine by me.

"Okay sweetie, if you can grab him from where he is, do it! He'll keep you safe until you're down again!"

"…P-Promise?" I could already see her shifting as she said that. I…don't think that looks very safe.

"YES! Just make sure you don't fa- OH CRAP!"

*CRACK*

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" And as the magical words left my mouth, of COURSE DESTINY SCREWS ME OVER!

"Dammit, DAMMIT! I'LL CATCH YOU!" The single branch had snapped partially, causing it to topple over but not entirely break off. Yet the momentum made Annie lose her grip on both legs and her single arm, flinging her down onto the ground at an alarming rate.

'Just a few steps to the left- WHAT THE-'

 ***THUD***

…

And the last thing I got to witness before getting knocked out was a gigantic bear appearing between me and the girl, knocking me out as I tried to actually catch him.

...

 _(To be continued...)_


	2. Don't Anger The Little Girl

**DON'T ANGER THE LITTLE GIRL**

* * *

I. HATED. The dark. It wasn't too annoying when you were sleeping in your bed, tucked into some warm sheets and didn't need to think about anything bad happening. But when you weren't sleeping, that's when I got worried. Because I wouldn't able to know what happens around me! Paranoia or not, at times it would be so bad that there's a night light ready in my bedroom for when fears got the better of me-

"AHHHHHH!"

"AHHHHHH!"

Hooray! I woke up, terrified out of my wits! AND WHY IS THAT RANDOM KID SCREAMING NEXT TO ME-

Ohhhhhh. Right, now I remember. Them stuck above on an unstable branch, them...falling down rather ungracefully and then darkness.

"W-Why were you screaming?", mumbled the red-head next to me. As I got a better look on them, they didn't seem to be too injured if the little scrapes on her forearms were anything to account for. Little tear stains were visible on their eyes, her body trembling and her plushy toy...Tibbers grasped in a hug for safety. 'Great, now I scared her unintentionally. Woohoo me.' On the inside there was guilt already piling up so without much thinking I stood up, cursing my legs when they stung at the movement before bringing up the most fake-ass laugh possible.

"Haha! Don't worry, I was just having a bad dream! But it's fine now."

"A-Ah. I sometimes get them as well...but Tibbers keeps them mostly away from me!" Wow. She's really hanging onto that bear. I feel bad for the guy who has to tell her that she needs to grow out of having a plushy in the future. On second thought, the thing looked really banged up. There were a few crosses sewn in the middle of them as if he's been torn up once. There was also only one button instead of two for the eyes or maybe it was intentional? But otherwise, that fiery red for his eye color seemed a little too aggressive for me. 'Best not to mention it.'

"You're really fond of him...Anna?" The girl got pouty at that, crap. "Allie?" Nope, still getting colder. "...Annie?" There, now she looked somewhat happy. Instead of replying she simply hugged him closer, with her plush's head covering her mouth and nose while cradling from side to side.

Speaking of names, I should introduce myself before forgetting it completely. "Well, my name's Joan. But you can call me "Joy" if you want?"

"J...Joy?", questioned Annie as her green eyes bore into my very existence. It was lightly off-putting, though she was still very young so I could classify it as general distrust. Right?

"Yup! Joy! Like the emotion! Because I'm a real bundle of joy, sweetie!" My face contorted into some mix of Freddy Krueger and Mickey Mouse, the grotesque and unimaginable combination causing her to chuckle at my antics. 'Well, at least she's being distracted by me being...me.' Though, the area seemed to darken ever so slightly right now. The night would soon fall and I didn't want little Annie over here to sit around until anyone came to collect up. **IF** anyone would even show up.

"Say, Annie? Do you know where your parents are?" Now, mind you, I never fully understood children really. I knew that acting silly around them got their attention and kept them happy on a short term. But other than that my mind was really clueless. The only thing that came up was sorting storage isles and keeping entitled parents at bay before my manager could kick them out!

So imagine the surprise when her eyes darkened, yet she played it off as nothing happened on her face. "I'm not sure. I and Tibbers just woke up on that tree up there when we got scared." Don't squee. Don't give in to the temptation to scream out due to her adorable wiggling. "We didn't know how to get down until you saved us!"

Uhm, not sure if getting knocked out counts as being helpful! Whatever floats your boat, I guess.

"Well, are you able to call someone? Any relative you know?", I asked, trying to maybe find a solution to this current dilemma.

But nope. Just another shake of her head. "No Miss Joy...and would they even hear me from here if I called out?", replied the girl with the cutest head tilt I've ever seen. 'Polite and clueless about technology. Nice to look at but doesn't help our current situation so whatever, let's move on.' Let's see: Parents are a sore spot, she doesn't know who to contact otherwise and it'll soon be too late for her to be out. Normally, I could just call the police, they'd do the work and ensure she is safe while giving their current caretakers hell. But what made this so complicated was her lack of memories. Waking up on a branch with no recollection of how they got up there? Certainly strange. Conclusion?

My ideas were running out fast. I needed to come with something up, stat.

"Say, Annie?" The little girl simply looked up at me, her glance questioning once again. "Is there any place you could return to where you're safe?"

That was a perfectly fine question to ask, at least for me that was. What I didn't expect was her to not answer at all. No headshake, no simple decline, not even a look that said otherwise. She simply opted for glancing down at her teddy hear, probably hoping for the thought to fleet in uncomfortable silence.

'That's it.' If we waited any longer, the natural lighting would run out. Coldness began setting in and the wind was making my mostly unprotected jeans freeze to fucking death. "Want to come with me then?" How her face suddenly morphed into shock was something that I'd hopefully never have to think about again. But right now, that didn't matter to me. "I mean, the place I'm staying at is much warmer than outside and there's...a bed in case you want to sleep," I tried to offer, hoping it wouldn't come off as too creepy.

Otherwise, may the FBI arrest me at once for implying such horrid things.

Luckily she gave me a confirming nod, her attached horns swaying alongside the strands of hair on her head. Getting rid of the pieces of grass and dirt I had left on myself, I held out a hand for her to take. Annie took a while until she got the hint, yet I was relatively weirded out at the warmness of her hand. Something on her seemed to radiate heat or whatever because she had room temperature! **OUT IN THE COLD!**

Whatever, too tired to care so get home already,' reminded my brain. We walked at a leisure pace, with Annie holding her bear securely on her through the other free appendage. Crossing a few blocks until we arrived, her attitude seemed to vary from insecure, to scared and at times relaxed when fewer people and cars were around. 'Maybe a more sheltered girl? Perhaps.' 20 minutes later we reached the worn-out complex where my apartment was, the peeled-off color on the walls barely resembling mint green. 'More like puke-green, blech.'

"I made my way up with little Annie holding onto me, her eyes wandering around the more damaged parts of the staircase, mainly the creaking wood planks acting as steps and some of the railings. Or their lack of.

Fishing the keys out of my jeans wasn't easy. My bangs keep getting in the way of things, so I had to comically puff at my hair to see properly which did get a few giggles out of the little girl. Once the cold metal was in my hand, both the door and my relief was open for others to see. Yet as things seemed to finally quiet down-

"AHHHHH!" / "WHAT THE FU-"

Did my dear Mr. Charles decide to scare the living headlights off of me, pouncing for fun at my chest and making both me and Annie screech for quite different reasons, much to the dismay of my neighbors.

'Just what did I get myself into?'

...

 _(To be continued...)_


	3. Don't Let The Food Burn

**DON'T LET THE FOOD BURN**

* * *

My apartment was nothing spectacular to look at. Creaky floorboards, less than ideal heating and the smell of...something in the walls usually scared every potential buyer away. But on a more positive side, this little abode is really, really cheap! Maybe breaking some regular contract paragraph (definitely was) but it kept my wallet full!

"Ewww, it's so smelly in here..." Scratch that. To be informed by a little girl like Annie that my apartment fucking sucked was the final nail in the coffin. Oh, the shame! THE SHAME! What shall I ever do now!?

"You get used to it after a while, sweetie," was my miserable response as I hung my bomber jacket on the little rack screwed to the sky-blue colored wall. Speaking of which, both the sides and ceiling of this space had seen better days. A few stains here and there, amongst other things. 'Ah, how could I ever forget the pasta geyser?' Should a buyer ever come to inspect the current look of my home, they'd probably keel over from the stench alone. But there weren't only downsides.

That ugly oak floor was covered in the middle by a big, orange and fuzzy carpet which could count as the highlight of my property. Mr. Charles loved lazing around on the fluffy texture and often resorted to camping out on it whenever he didn't crash my mattress. I also had some old man's couch he once tried throwing away, yet after pursuing him with the lowest money bargain possible and me agreeing to carry the damn thing with the help of a good friend up the 3rd floor. 'Backbones were hurting like hell for a week but it was definitely worth it.' The girl seemed to relax onto it at least, with a blanket from my bedroom making her comfortable.

Oh, and let's not forget less appreciated TV on the opposite side of my room, Annie seemingly fixed on a cartoon rerun that was going on since noon. Her bear still wasn't too far gone though, resting gently in her lap as if watching the show with her. 'D'awwww, cute.' I'll probably have to see what she has on her and buy accordingly. Might hurt my wallet for some weeks but that way Annie won't be missing anything.

Looking outside the window as I scratched my aching arms and back, only the darkened streets greeted me. We've been home for around 30 minutes but it was enough for the sun to set. That or the other apartment buildings surrounding the busy traffic near my door blocked it out. A glance at the digital clock hanging in a second-hand store's display window answer my question at least. '9:37 PM.'

"Ms. Joy?" Hm, what's wrong you little cinnamon? "I'm hungry..."

Well didn't things start great for me. If it were for me, my stomach could've held out at least one more meal skip before growling at me in agony. But Annie wasn't me. She probably needed her nutrition every day to grow properly and a lack of would not be good for her long-term.

"Well, then you're in luck sweetie because I got just the thing for us two!" Ah, those sparkles in her eyes. Never imagined I'd say this as a moody "adult" but it was nice to take care of a little kid. At least, so far all the screaming and whining weren't present so a win on my end.

Either way, my stiff legs moved over the carpet into my kitchen corner, a small gas stove resting neatly in there along with some cupboards, utensils, plates and a sink to clean my dirtied things. The actual hotplate there carried me through my first years. MVP right there! But the years of usage did show a bit on the once pristine white, some spots worn off or scratched during my earlier days of experimenting.

Involving some blacked spots due to chocolate, a broken pot handle and lots of sugar, baby.

As I rummaged through the space crouched down, Annie seemed to have noticed the commotion as she slowly stepped closer behind me- THERE YOU ARE!

"Aaaaaand here! To make you something special!" My favorite bottle of pancake mix!

"...Uhhhh, Miss Joy-"

"By the way, you don't need to call me "Miss", ok sweetie? The woman holding that title is quite a few ways away from my home," I interrupted the girl, too emerged into my anticipation of eating this round, delicious-

"Joy? How...are we supposed to eat that?"

"..."

Pause.

Did she never hear about the greatness that was- Just, what. **What.**

"Annie? Do you know what is inside that bottle?", my mind tried to explain, with my hand pointing at the container filled to the half with the remainder of my treasured pancake mix.

But I fucking swear she only shook her head with the most confused look imaginable on a girl's face holding onto their teddy bear-

'OKAY; WE'RE FIXING THIS, PRONTO!'

There wasn't even so much as a moment for her to react when I scooped her up, albeit showing little resistance at my subtleness. She didn't seem to know how to react when I plopped her down on the clean wooden surface, my own body moving almost automatically as I grabbed a small pan, some plates and (of course) the bottle containing our soon-to-be food. "Guess I'll have to show you how to make pancakes!"

"Pan...cakes?", the purple-haired girl tried. To have such a world be foreign in her vocabulary! What a tragedy! But at least she's learning!

"Right. Pan. Cakes~." My left hand moved to turn on the cooking plate while I moved down to grab some actual silverware for once. Eating with chopsticks and hands didn't seem to be sanitary, so I had to after all. Plus, I needed a matchstick to light the actual flame. The gas was already running, meaning waiting any longer would cause a worse stench than the one existing already. 'There we go...and the match. Bingo.' Kind of difficult to hold all of it in one hand, honestly.

"There, now I need to-"

 ***Whoosh***

...Eh? What was that?

"Annie, sweetie? Did you touch anything on...the...sto- oh, what the fuck!?" No way. No way did I fucking light the gas flame already. I was holding the intended source of fire in my hands for crying out loud! B-But that isn't possible! Gas doesn't just instantaneously ignite like that! This isn't a video game, this was science! J-Just, what-

"Ohhhh, warm!" Kicking me out of my stupid demeanor was none other than Annie, who moved a bit in her seat to move her right close to the heat caused by my cooking plate. Nothing of what just happened seemed to faze her I think, with this miracle apparently not fazing her in the slightest. 'Alright...let's just pretend this never happened and I'll keep my sanity. Seems fair?'

"Good...now we put the mix into the pan once it heats up, ok?" The following steps were pretty much muscle memory at this point, with my little guest shifting her focus from the low flame to me putting an even layer on the pan's surface. Sizzling soon could be heard, a more pleasant smell filling the apartment. Her eyes didn't gleam as intensely as before but she definitely still seemed happier. So in between pancakes put on plates, I would gently move my hand to pat her slick hair between the horns.

Trust me. At the first one she froze like a deer caught in front of headlights, at the second one there was a noticeable struggle in her body when my fingers ran through those strands of purple-red. The following times I wasn't met with any resistance. Maybe my senses imagined it, but she could've leaned in on the last one. 'I really wish I didn't.'

Now with both plates full with 3 circles of deliciousness and the silverware set up, I moved towards my window just to get the smell of burning mix out of the apartment. It wouldn't have particularly affected me, though keeping the smell in here could get me hungry for more later on and I valued those curves! So looking one more time down towards the few people still walking around or grabbing a late bite, I finally turned the handle and let the colder air flow insi-

 ***WHOOSH***

...

Why am I afraid to look?

"The fly's gone! It went poof!"

...I should've just ordered takeout.

...

 _(To be continued...)_


	4. Don't Be Afraid Of Awesome Powers

**DON'T BE AFRAID OF AWESOME POWERS**

* * *

"Annie, c'mon. You'll need to tell me sooner or later..."

"..."

The situation felt like "The Talk", only ten times more awkward for me. Seriously, how couldn't I be like that after witnessing an innocent little kid incinerate a fly, the remains of which covering the top pancake on my plate. Besides that, nothing was seriously damaged except for a few singed spots on the cupboard and wall. 'Like those would even bother me.' I've achieved much worse with my two bare hands so compared to this? Actual child's play.

Althought it wasn't a game we were playing. She technically killed a living being, no matter how small and annoying those buggers are! Which led me to the current time of things. Annie was resting on the edge of my couch, her plate of pancakes already growing cold and left untouched while she curled in on herself. Her bear Tibbers sat next to him, yet something was beginning to seriously feel off with how much heat that plush began generating.

In the meantime I made myself comfy on the opposite side, sitting cross-legged in a pair of pyjama shorts and top with my half-eaten plate of food on my lap. The wavy cloud pattern stretching from the bottom to the mid-riff of its fabric felt warm on my skin but would've been a problem due to the general temperature in my apartment. Luckily the girl nullified that issue with her presence alone. Some old douche was ranting on TV about protests regarding a new video game or wh-

'This can't go on like this.' I needed to talk with her.

Uncomfortable talks would usually be avoided like the pest in this household. But c'mon, both of us are feeling sulky and I want to get this issue off our plates. Uh, metaphorical plates, duh. So putting aside my _real_ piece of tableware alongside the fork and knife respectively on the carpet for Mr. Charles to sneak a few bites in as I shift closer to her.

"Listen, sweetie. I'm not mad or angry with you," admitted the voice speaking my current thoughts.

"...Huh?", was her very timid and silent answer. Turning to me again, I've been greeted once more with those beautiful green eyes. But this time, there wasn't a ton of sparkles to see. Only a kind of broken gaze. One that really tore into me without having the intention to do so. 'Makes me want to help her even more.'

"Yeah." A hand slowly tried to grasp her shaking shoulder, yet she saw the appendage and coiled back with me freezing mid-movement and trying verbally again. "I'm not mad. Not even annoyed or scared," I went on, although I _was_ slightly freaked out over it on the inside. "All I want is to know what "that" just fucking was. I'll promise that no matter the answer, you'll not be treated any worse by me."

"...P-Promise?" There we go...

"I promise."

"...P-Pinky promise?" Awww, her little finger is so small!

Here, you little cinnamon. There! "Pinkie promise."

With my reassurance, she's visibly relaxed to a degree. There was still that underlying nervousness creeping up on us, yet the more once breathtaking pressure melted into the air and losing its grasp on both our minds. I could see how she was still tense from my questioning, with her bear continuing to lay next to her.

'Maybe that can help...' One more time I reached out, this time confusing the little girl as my hand was kept low. She quickly caught on, however, looking even **more** distressed when fingers grasped the slightly worn-off fabric and OH GOD THE BEAR IS STUPIDLY HOT!

'Oh fuck, OH FUCK!' It still didn't make any logical sense. Heck, the incident before didn't as well! For some reason, the surface I'm touching Tibbers with is warming up more and more! I was pretty that sooner or later, my skin could suffer from at least first degree burns; if not, **worse.** Yet, as foolish and logically stupid as it sounds, my grip didn't come loose even a little bit. If anything, it made me hold onto him even more.

Mentally shoving the pain aside I finally got a good look at the plush. To be real, he didn't seem as badly damaged as I thought before! The sewn spots were fixed quite well, fabric carefully handled except a few rough stops here and there which didn't seem to affect his overall appeal. And then there is the issue with the missing eye button. In the end, I simply decided to mutely point at the spot in question.

That...didn't seem to get a good reaction out of her, at all. Her gaze refused to mine as both hands seemed to tremble with her face concealed by purple-red strands of hair. 'Pain...whatever caused him to lose that button is bringing up the pain.' Seemingly I wasn't the only one who noticed this. As I reshifted the bear in my grasp, his heat began dwindling down, then rising again before lowering once more. Almost like a comfortable heartbeat made out of warmth, Tibbers was mutely kept in my hands.

'It's as if he wants to comfort her.' Some old woman at my workplace once stated how things like smell, feel and even sound could effectively calm down anyone. Hope she is right.

"You really took good care of him, Annie," was my soft response.

Her green eyes snapped open, few tears threatening to drop from her eyes while she looked at her plush before me. Keeping my hand open and nudging it slightly, she tentatively reached out at first before snatching it in one fast motion. "...He's my dear Tibbers, after all." She soon calmed down once more, softly patting the fabric of her bear in thought.

I kept silent for at least a few minutes. She seemed stressed enough...

"...Joy?"

On second thought. "Yes?"

"Close your eyes? Please?"

"Alright." Out of everything that happened today, this seemed like the most harmless request ever. Still odd but definitely not crazy! "Closing eyes now," I muttered while Annie and the world around her dipped into darkness.

At first, nothing.

Then, the shift of something whizzing in the air followed by a gentle tint of orange spawning through my eyelids.

"O-Okay...y-you can open them now." Following her word, my vision was greeted again with the familiar, run-down apartment of mine...alongside the little girl sitting on that grey-colored couch, her palm outstretched and a gentle flame floating just above her skin. The actual fire didn't seem all that impressive, calmly swaying around with an eerie, orange light that illuminated everything around it. Annie looked **very** uncomfortable during her actions, her body trying to distance itself from her own creation.

Although, only one question rang in my head when looking at it:

"Can I touch it?" Mentally giving my own boldness a pat on the back, I moved my own arm to the flame before Annie could even react and began holding it closer and closer until my skin began to feel the real existing warmth. After getting a feeling for the actual heat I began playing around with it, blowing at his to let the flame flicker, staring at close into it as if I excepted something else to happen or quickly brushing a finger through the flame.

The last part, in particular, seemed to finally snap her out of whatever shocked state she was in, letting her fire fleet with it. Out of nowhere she stood up on the couch, took a step closer and practically shouted at my face.

"WHY AREN'T YOU SCARED OF ME!?"

...

"Y-You're supposed to be afraid! You should've been scared! YOU SHOULD'VE REACTED LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!", she kept exclaiming, tears again building up behind her eyes and both hands balled up in fists.

Was that how others saw her?

"Y-You..." *Sob* "W-Why aren't you scared?"

...

She was right. Why **wasn't** I? Even my own mind didn't come up with a set answer, merely throwing thoughts of my own at me until it clicked.

I never associated her with her ability, merely viewing her as who she really was. A sweet, misunderstood **child**.

"Because you're you, Annie. That fire is simply a part of who you are."

That was the girl's breaking point.

Soon after these words there was a trembling girl hugging the life out of my body, shoulders shaking and the wetness of tears staining my pajamas. I didn't push her away, instead holding her closer and causing the sobs to intensify. Never have I seen someone this young go through so much trouble that her mentality expected others to leave her alone. It's one of these things that I could never understand unless it happened to myself.

The only thing I could provide was an open ear and mind, seemingly enough for her. Inbetween our hug was her precious bear, his rhythmic aura attempting to calm her down.

By the end of that escapade, Annie fell asleep out of mental and physical exhaustion. Her body was still latching onto mine, breathing having steadied and leaving a big stain on my own clothing. 'I'll probably have to change the top.' Turns out that having a young minor attached to your waist hindered my capability to move. Deciding to let the garment issue be not of immediate importance I hoisted her up with my free hand, making sure she wouldn't fall off.

Just before we moved away, my tired gaze spotted the fabric of Tibbers next to Mr. Charles. The sneaky cat rolled up next to him as he slept, making me smile at the scene. 'I don't think you two would like to be separated, no?' So for the final time in this night, I picked up the seemingly alive plush.

Yet this time he didn't burn my hand, instead pulsating like before.

...

 _(To be continued...)_


	5. Don't Mind Entitled Customers

**DON'T MIND ENTITLED CUSTOMERS**

* * *

"Miss Ellenford! I need you to clean up a milk puddle in aisle 7!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Miss Ellenford! A customer requires your assistance at the bakery station!"

"Alright, alright!"

"Miss Rubia and Miss Ellenford-"

"ARGHH! GIMME A BREAK!"

Work was rarely not annoying. But what do you expect from the activity that held everyone financially afloat? Slacking off was something even I had to refrain myself off. 'Which would be fine and all if this slave driver of a boss didn't order me across the pla-'

"Miss Elle-"

"Sheesh, keep it in your pants you desk jockey," my mouth mumbled without any care for others around me hearing these words. Working on a Sunday after you've been called in the night before wasn't something I was really hyped for. Under the week there wasn't too much happening in the clean supermarket, with maybe the occasional emergency (stuff dropping on the ground, etc.) around the corner.

Feeling the soft tiles under my uniform's white sneakers and the apron around my front pressing against my ribcage kept my head in the game, caffeine, and sugar ensuring the same for my senses. My boss didn't force me to cover my green-colored bangs on my head, else I would have thrown a public fit! The only annoying feature of my clothing attire was the boring grey shirt squeezing my curves. Sure, there wasn't any trouble around my top (if I even had enough up there to mention) but it worsened the pressure between ribcage and lungs. 'Of course, he had to cut some of our budget with the uniforms. Why wouldn't he!?'

"Ah, glad to see you, ma'am," called an elderly voice from my left. The guy with a top of white on his head seemed grateful to see me, so it could be worse.

"How can I help you?" Smiling politely was something my job description required in the sense of "polite manners", else they wouldn't have given me this spot in the first place. 'Although, my cheeks hurt over time from it. Wish they'd remove that paragraph in the contract!'

"Could you please hand me that package of noodles up there?" He pointed with his wrinkled to the top of the shelf- crap.

"Sure! Just give me a second." I had to leap a bit on the spot, probably looking like a total idiot mid-hopping but after my 5th attempt my hand finally grasped the pack of overpriced pasta from Italy. Here you go dude, hope it doesn't burn a hole in your wallet. Certainly would with me. Like, who would pay 3 dollars extra for something I could cook up twice as much of, for half the price!?

"Thank you very much!" Ahh, seeing the happy faces of customers was one of the few worthwhile things of this hellhole, including doubled overtime-pay.

*Beep, beep, beep*

"Oh thank god, finally a break!" Hearing the repeated beeping of my discount wristwatch got a relieved sigh out of me. My shift has been going on 4 hours now and I couldn't even eat breakfast, stomach, and muscles protesting because of this ever since I arrived.

Now that I finally get to sit down for 30 minutes and eat, we can talk for a bit dear mental audience. Your next line will be: "Where is Annie?", no? Agh, manga hopefully applies for once. And to answer your question, she's...

"JOY!"

"OOF! Hey sweetheart, m-mind letting me go so I can grab a bite?" The sweet little girl that was hugging the life out of my left thigh had been sitting in the break room's couch (with the permission of my boss after even he couldn't say "no" to Annie's saddened face), taking a small nap with her favorite bear between her arms and head. Yes, it was adorable as much as you could imagine it. And yes, she got to eat beforehand (bought her a chocolate chip muffin from the market itself and deducted the cost from my pay).

Gently lifting her up and placing her on the seat arrangement, my legs were finally free to walk towards the shared cupboard and walk back to her once I grabbed a Tupperware box with cereal and a plastic spoon.

The other workers already knew about the little guest in here. Some only gave me a weird look before shrugging, other cooed at how cute her face and headband was while some simply asked why I brought a kid along for my job. The answer: She wouldn't really trust a lot of other people except me AND my wallet couldn't afford someone babysitting her anyways.

One guy even sneaked a candy bar into her hands. And seriously, I'm not sure whether to thank him or sock said dude in the face. 'The latter didn't sound too bad.'

"Uhm...Joy?"

"Hmm?", my mouth mumbled out with plastic, grains and an unknown assortment berries in my mind. Hey, it was a genuine skill to speak properly with food between your cheeks without sounding like a gagged chipmunk!

"I...uhm, n-need to go." Annie was mumbling this, rubbing her thumbs together as her Tibbers sat gently on her lap-

"Oh."

...

"Ohhhh."

Would I need to comment further on that? Ehhh, no. Was there the opportunity to do so- Okay, I'll stop!

"Alright, let's go then." We both didn't waste much time after her comment, gently holding onto her hand as she did the same for Tibbers when stepping out of the worker's room. People were busy around the area, whether as a customer or not. Some of my colleagues were busy carrying crates of bottles or frozen food around to the food isles, while others had to walk around and assist customers whenever something came up. Our team consisted of 20 people in total, with usually only 10 required at a time.

Except today wasn't anything but usual. There was a book convention just a few blocks away from here, with thousands of visitors swarming the place. I knew of personal experience just how **expensive** the grub there was. 5 dollars for a hot dog, 6 dollars for a "big" box of fries and another 5 dollars for a bottle of soda. And don't get me started on the restaurants near the barred-off areas!

That's why the **entire** staff was around right now including moi, doing their best to keep this sinking ship of a store afloat for 12 hours! We'd received abnormally high pay for this and an additional day off of work for us to use but it still didn't help our aching...everything. 'All to keep desk jockey happy, eh-'

"Uhm, excuse me there?"

Great, what **timing** this ha-

"Hello? I'm talking to you!"

... *Sigh* Just remember your training. Politely wave her off, call someone else and then finish your own business. With a suppressed groan I turned around, faking my usual smile to the confusion of the timid and nervous Annie and got a better look at my current source of dismay.

The woman in front of me wore some fancy market clothing, her sweater, pants and (for some reason) dress shoes indicating what kind of attitude she possessed. An annoyed frown greeted my own hidden one, brown irises gleaming with...something while her blonde strands cascaded down her back. Looking not too bad overall, but never trust the first impression too much. "How may I help you?"

"Yes, finally. Here, I've written down a list of things that we'll need." Before I could even comprehend what happened, this scarecrow of a Barbie doll shoved an arm's length long paper note into my face and didn't even give me time to grab it before pulling back.

And holy shit, the list was long. I'd have to walk around the store twice over to get everything, not to mention visit the meat and cheese counter to grab stuff like "Imported Spanish Cheddar" or "Marmorized Argentinean Steaks"! To be fair, yes, we helped with grabbing stuff for customers if need be, meaning elders or those who physically / mentally had trouble getting things themselves. But this was **really** pushing the bar, now was it?

"Uhm, I'm sorry ma'am. But while I would help you get the things from your bucket list-" Bullshit. "I'm currently on a break, so-"

"You're not."

...

"Excuse me?" *Sigh*

"You're. Not. On break. You are wearing a uniform and in the store's vicinity, therefore you must be working." Oh, look at her deep smug and crossed arms like she's some of super detective. The little sweetheart also felt the mood around us get worse, her grip getting tighter and palm of her hand warming up to a comforting yet foreboding degree.

"My apologies, but I'm only out here to bring her-", my answer began as I hinted with a nod to the side at Annie. "To the restroom."

"So? Can't you just let her go alone?"

"Are you expecting me to leave a little girl unsupervised in public space with her afraid on her own?"

"She obviously isn't alone, if that smelly bear is anything to go by!"

...Oh no, she didn't.

Safe to assume that my estimation wasn't far off, her demeanor shifted from timid to aggravated in seconds, the air around her heating up and causing my grip to turn uncomfortably warm. Annie seemed to try and hold herself back but she didn't take kindly to the woman's words.

"Listen, ma'am. I can call over another employee on duty to help you but I am not currently in the position to work-"

"Can't you just do what I say you to and get to work!? HERE!"

 ***THUD***

OWW! Dammit, fucking little- Argh! She shoved me! This woman shoved me onto my rear and still expects me to be her personal slave! Just who does she think she is!? "OI! What was that for!?"

"I didn't do anything! You tripped over your own two left feet and dirtied my shoes with your own filth!"

The details afterward were slightly blurry in my mind but I could remember that I and the woman had a ranting match for 5. Whole. Minutes in front of the bathroom doors and with me resting on my bum for everyone to see. Neither my boss nor other customers paid me much mind but some of the other workers gave my sympathetic and fearful glances.

"Well, maybe I should just call over the manager and get you fired, hm~?"

...That's it. Please let me punch this flea's head in-

"Ma'am?" Eh? "What did you want to buy?"

"Oh, look. Even this shorty has better manners than you! Let's see..." My eyes never wandered off of the crazy lady when she rummaged through her own purse since she didn't see the list anywhere on me- wait.

"Uhm, are you looking for this?"

"Ah, yes! Thank you...dear..." To be honest, my mind was slightly glad to concentrate more on the shock-ridden face on her face as she glanced at the now coaled paper pieces lying on the ground. Annie in the meanwhile was holding a lighter (which I never found where she got it from), the top burning gently but too controlled to be from the oil naturally. Sweetheart was smiling innocently, Tibbers hiding her probably satisfied grin behind his hand and swinging on her heels.

"Fancy paper's turning smokey when going whoosh~!"

Safe to say, I never noticed the woman stomping off in slight embarrassment and compressed anger while I and some of the other workers were busy laughing our asses off alongside Annie's giggling.

...

 _(To be continued...)_


	6. Don't Watch Cartoons At Night

**DON'T WATCH CARTOONS AT NIGHT**

* * *

"C'mon!"

"No!"

"Why won't you tell me where you got the lighter from!?"

"Because it was a gift and didn't want me to tell you!"

"THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT EVEN WORSE!" I'll admit, the stunt she pulled back at my workspace was fucking amazing. Many of my colleagues shared the amusement I had (although me convulsing on the floor from cackling is difficult to trump). Even asked Dave, our resident security guy for a screenshot from the CCTV. He didn't say yes but still winked at me, so I shall expect a printed copy soon.

But after this was all said and done, things changed when my boss asked me about today, one question obviously remaining: 'Who gave her a lighter and (potentially) taught her how to use it!?'

This was left on my cap so sitting back in my apartment, dangling my feet off the couch's side I watched my new, little munchkin play happily with Mr. Charles. Said feline was watching the new inhabitant of our home in interest while inwardly screaming for help at being forced to perform the Kitty Kat dance.

Perhaps my mood was that of a bratty teenager who wasn't getting her way, though I wasn't good at bargaining / interrogating anyways. "But it'd be our secret! Wouldn't you want to share one, hm?"

"Dance, kitty dance! And up, up, up~!"

'WHY IS THIS SO DAMN DIFFICULT!?' And they make parenting on the web look so damn easy! Urgh, perhaps I should just get us some food from my newly acquired money before going to sleep. Either a pizza or something from a random fast food chain could work.

...But could I leave her alone in my apartment like that?

Glancing down at her from my splayed out body on the couch, Annie seemed lost in the attention my feline was dragging. Tibbers was still resting on her lap like always, the clean but partially damaged fabric holding that plushy thing together. 'I'd also need to get her new clothing like pajamas and outdoor clothing.' Her little skirt and shirt were cute but it would seem pretty weird if she was always in that.

Also...body care. No idea to what degree she knows how to take care of herself. The toilet? Luckily yes. Everything else? Still a grey zone.

"Whatever. I won't let the topic slide but let me get some grub before we sleep for tonight," was my final answer on the topic as I stood up, stretching my arms and cringing at the light pop that erupted from my shoulders. Apparently, it's supposed to sound very satisfying though I fail to see anything good about it. All that comes to mind is the pain from my workload!

"Huh? Where are you going?", came the instant reply of Annie as she noticed me move to fetch the same jacket from yesterday. 'Wierd. Since when did she look so concerned?'

"I'm just buying us some grub. Oh, and also some clothing your size for sleeping." My hand was spinning around the keychain for my home, metal jiggling from the rotating movement-

"You'll...come back, right?"

Guh. That...just caught me off-guard, not going to fucking lie. One foot out of the door already and yet here I was, dumbstruck by a little girl's concern as if the entire world froze.

My mouth had to fight a deep sigh while I turned around, adopting one of my more soft expressions and leaned down in front of Annie, patting her horn-free head. "How could I leave my sweet munchkin ever alone? Besides, child services would sue the crap out of me if I left you alone."

A sweet giggle was her response to that. "What are child services?"

"That," began my answer as I booped her on the nose. "You will learn when you're older and have to deal with shit like me. Don't have too much fun with Mr. Charles while I'm gone!"

"Meow!"

"You're a traitor!"

"Kitty going up, up, up~!"

* * *

Deep in the night, kept awake by my aching back as I rested on the couch while watching the program Annie enjoyed until growing sleepy. We munched on a pepperoni pizza (after explaining to her what Pizza was and watching her face smile in glee at the first bite), watched a rerun of the best cartoon movies of all time and then got her to bed.

A bed as in a double-stacked mattress, sheets and pillow for her to enjoy. I willingly gave it up since she didn't seem comfortable with sharing it yet, Annie was supposed to be comfortable after all. 'Just hope the smell wasn't keeping her up as much as me.'

Meanwhile, the darkness of the living room / whatever was next to it-room had been pierced by colorful lights and the gentle sound of an animated bear's adventures. 'What wouldn't I give for a dimming option right now.' My heavy head was kept upright by my other hand, eased up by a spare pillow from my bed with my body partially freezing. Sucks not to have a blanket but we've all got to make sacrifices. 'Wonder if the kid would be mad for stealing the fabric sheets from her...'

Yeah, bad idea. Especially with Tibbers around.

Regardless, my eyes slowly blinked whilst sleep beckoned me more and more...

Perhaps I can rest gently now. Just closing my eyes for a second-

"Oooh! I want a bear like that, now!"

...

Eh...probably was just Ricky downstairs, surfing the web around midnight for whatever weird shit came u-

"Look at all the honey! That looks so yummy!"

Despite my chaotic hair blocking my face in all of their unsexy glory, my vision somewhat returned to see...pretty much the equivalent of a fever dream getting humanized, sitting on my couch's armrest with their legs drawn close and a dopey (somewhat scary) smile on her face. Their blue clothing seemed oriental, yet left a lot of skin revealed. Kind of unsettling for being the size of a little girl. Their hair, uh, could only be described by the word 'GLAMOROUS' written in bright, gold font on a billboard. 'Is that glitter in her hair or what?'

Also, her eyes, did she have heterochromia? Whatever it was, that purple hue looked dope-

"Oh hey! That tiger looks like a giant plushie!"

Oh fuck, the fever dream speaks.

They didn't seem to have noticed me yet, though. Whatever was on the screen glued their attention away without much resistance. How they swayed from side to side, grin unwavering and hair serenely flowing about certainly looked unreal. I couldn't help but mutely gape at the scene.

Until my brain noticed how dry my throat was and throw me under the bus with the mother of all coughs. It stung a little due to the intensity and I felt my torso moving alongside the entire ordeal. But once I was done, everything seemed to fall under the silence of the night-

"Hey, you don't look so good, what's wrong?" At least until my vision shifted to the intruder, childish face turned to me and creased in what could've only been a look of worry. Kind of a weird sight if you see an adult laying somewhere, having a coughing fit before dry heaving like their heart just stopped for a whole minute. 'Dammit, why now of all times!?'

"Don't worry, I'm peachy..."

"Hi Peachy, I'm Zoe!"

...

They didn't just...OH FOR FU-

*Thud* "H-Hey, what are you doing!?"

"Living out the equivalent of a groan," came my voice muffled under the couch's half-torn fabric. The worst part is that there wasn't some kind of shit-eating grin or foreboding look on their face so I couldn't even count that! It even sounded so genuine! "Just don't mind me burying my face from the world. Just enjoy the movie..."

"Ooooh, like this?" *Thud*

"You...weren't supposed to slam your face into the couch as well, uh...Zoe."

"Oh? But it's always more fun to do things together, right?" Although I couldn't see anything from my current position, judging from the equally, unclear response and shift next to me, the kid had just copied me. Whether that was a wholesome or stupid response was too far beyond my care.

"I guess..." Lifting my face back up to look up and watch the kid...imagination do the same, I just rubbed my head before sitting down regularly. The mysterious girl kept smiling at me, stretching her hand out with something in her grip. Looking down with my sleep-ridden eyes, a small pastry instantly made my mouth water. It looked like a miniature cake with complicated but adorable-looking details on the top. Leaning a bit closer and taking a little whiff-

THIS SMELLS SO GOOD! "Is this, for me?" Must. Keep. Self-restraint.

"Yeah! Normally I don't like to share them, but you seemed down," explained Zoe, face dropping into sadness.

Well, that didn't last long as my mouth was already busy chewing the heavenly taste of chocolate exploding in my mouth. The satisfying smile on my face spread past my cheeks as all I was busy with was enjoying every single bite. Perhaps it looked weird to see someone like me chewing on the same chunk of tasty dessert for minutes after minutes, all while some cartoon about a cute bear and his plush friend was played with an over-colored girl glued to the screen.

Could I care less? Nope~.

Was the girl next to me real? Hell no! My body is probably just tripping from the exhaustion of today, senses going bonkers and doing its best to make this night bearable-

"Joy?"

...

Eh? "...Annie?" Despite my confusion, I turned to my left to see Annie in her brand-new, purple pajamas with a sun-motif on the front. Her green, wide eyes were also moments before dropping as she yawned, her bear carefully held by her hand. Now I feel bad for having woken the little munchkin up.

"Who is that on the couch...?"

"Don't worry, she's just an imagination of my mind to help me relax."

"Hi, I'm Zoe! Zoe, the imagination! Are you friends with Peachy?"

...Wait.

Something wasn't right. Was it the mini cake? Uhm...

Give me a second.

Almost got it.

Aaaaand I'm dead.

"What? But you're still talking and not burning?"

I said I'M DEAD!

*Thud*

"Joy!" / "Peachy!?"

...

 _(To be continued...)_


End file.
